


Manoir de la Vallée

by EarlApril



Series: Manoir de la Vallée [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Action, Adult Content, Adventure, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Animals, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst and Feels, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Choices, Dark, Dark Fantasy, Death, Drama, Earl-April, Emotional Hurt, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff and Smut, France (Country), Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gender-neutral Reader, Horror, Hurt, Infatuation, Jealousy, Love, M/M, Mansion Fic, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Minor Original Character(s), Miraculous Ladybug Spoilers, Monsters, Mutual Pining, Mystery, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, OCs - Freeform, Original Character(s), Other, Paranormal, Paris (City), Post-Canon, Psychological Horror, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Romance, Self-Insert, Sexual Content, Shameless Smut, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Spirit Animals, Talking Animals, Unrequited, Unrequited Crush, Valley, Violence, envy - Freeform, forest, gender-neutral protagonist, lots of lore, mansion, mature - Freeform, miraculous - Freeform, ongoing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22218994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarlApril/pseuds/EarlApril
Summary: I'm lost.I'm cold.And I'm tired.Walking through a forest, I'm trying to find my way to the nearest train station. It's a long way back home, and it's getting dark. I have no phone service so I head over to an estate in the woods in hopes of getting some directions. However, it's starting to rain, and I'm invited to stay overnight.Though, I don't think it's reasonable to be locked in a mansion filled with talking animals.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Reader, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Reader, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Manoir de la Vallée [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599433
Comments: 17
Kudos: 63





	1. Introduction

**   
**

## Introduction

* * *

Hey guys,

Thank you all for reading this! I've just recently gotten into the Miraculous fandom but I'm quite fond of it! I've read a few Miraculous fanfics and I got inspired to write a short Miraculous AU self-insert novella so here you have it! I've been torn on whether I was going to publish this in the end or not but I thought that I might as well since I have several chapters pre-written. Hope you enjoy!

This fanfic has been heavily inspired by Stray Cat Crossing, The Witch's House, IB, Over the Garden Wall, Coraline, Little Misfortune, Alice in Wonderland, and Infinity Train.

 ** _SPOILER WARNING!_** This fanfic contains major spoilers for Miraculous: Ladybug! If you don't want anything spoiled from the show and wish to watch it blindly, don't read this! Please do heed this warning now. This fanfic is technically an AU but still has spoilers all the same. If you have already watched everything I have just listed or just simply don't care about spoilers, then, by all means, proceed ahead!

This fanfic will have multiple endings with corresponding Epilogues. These endings will be determined on your choice at the end. The story is what you make it, so I hope you'll like what is to come!

As a disclaimer, I want to warn you all that this fanfiction I have flagged this story as mature. I advise you to leave now if you are underage or if the topics listed below make you uncomfortable in any way. I want to make it clear that I **DO NOT** support the themes featured in this story. Please be mindful that the mature topics listed may change due to this story being incomplete. So make sure to check the disclaimers regularly since new mature content may appear in the future. Do remember that this story is intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken to heart. The predicted age range for this story is +18, but that may change along with the topics listed due to this story being incomplete. However, +18 is the overall predicted age range based on the subjects that are planned to come up in the story. I will not be held responsible for anyone's actions so if you are underage; there's obviously nothing I can physically do to stop you but do remember that this is your decision and I have nothing to do with that. Proceed on your own accord, but I will not be held accountable for anyone's actions.

\---

**_(This story is incomplete! These content warnings may change!)_ **

**Mature Content:**

\- Strong language

\- Graphic depictions of violence and gore

\- Murder/character death

\- Sexual content

\- Mental Disorders

\---

Additionally, I don't wish to see any arguments or hostile behavior in the comments. If this is directed at me or anyone else, then your comment will quickly be deleted. Everybody has three strikes. After that, you will be either muted or reported. That said, coming back to the disclaimer above; I also don't wish to see anybody or anybody's parents complaining about the mature themes. Like I mentioned before, you are reading this at your own risk, so any actions taken by you are your own responsibility. If you don't like this story, then click away and don't read it! Please don't waste everyone's time by complaining. Just like with hostile behavior, I will delete your comment as soon as it arrives. I don't want to sound aggressive, but I just want to make this clear to some people. On the other hand, I'm open to any nice comments, constructive criticism or questions!

Due to this being the Wattpad edition, I will be moderating comments so I can monitor the 'troublesome' commenters. Don't worry yourself over it since it's only to prevent people from using vulgar words or writing anything horrible. In most cases, your comment will immediately be approved! Don't be put off from stating your opinion, whether you like the story or not! I will never delete your comment as long as it follows the guidelines listed below. I'm happy to hear your thoughts and whether you have any constructive criticism for me! Feel free to say whatever you want as long as you're being civilized and not wasting everyone's time. Listed below are the guidelines for what could (or in some cases, will) get your comment deleted so, please be mindful of what you're writing!

\---

**Comment Guidelines:**

\- No excessive use of strong language. (Limit strong language as best as you can. Since this is a mature story I will allow strong language provided the site does, but please don't go overboard with it. However, I will not tolerate any extremely offensive words such as the C-word, the N-word or anything similar. If the word is used in the story, I will allow it.)

\- No spam. (No telling others to read your story, no links to any shady websites, no asking people to follow you on social media, no telling people to buy your stuff, etc. This wastes everyone's time and is not needed here so it will be deleted immediately. This also includes certain conversations. You are not forced to only discuss the story, but comments will be deleted if there is an extremely long conversation on just one or two topics. I would prefer it if we tried to refrain from clogging up the comment section.)

\- Be respectful. (Vulgar comments will get your comment deleted. This can range from insults to discriminatory comments such as homophobic, racist or sexist comments.)

\- No giving out personal information. (Similar to spam, any form of giving out of your personal information will get your comment deleted. This includes things such as your phone number, email address, house address, ZIP code/postcode, etc.)

\- No grooming or predatory behavior. (This includes sexting, attempting to gain personal information, flirtation, etc.)

\- No controversial topics. (This includes political bias, opinions on people in power, religious beliefs, opinions on migration, the age of consent, etc. This can stir up a lot of never-ending arguments so please try to stay away from topics such as these. Stating your opinion is fine, since the story will discuss some big questions but comments will be deleted when arguments or heated conversations begin to arise.)

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Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir is a Nickelodeon show that belongs to Thomas Astruc, and Miraculous Ladybug and all of the canon characters belong to him. This story is a fanfiction that is non-canon to the original show with no official link to its original source. The fanfic itself and all of the minor OCs (Original Characters) in this series pertain to me. The real-life characters such as (Name) for example, belong to you, dear reader. The non-canon characters are listed below. Expect to see certain names possibly appear and disappear whenever this page gets updated.

\---

**_(Some full names have been removed to avoid spoilers! A full list will be provided when the story is complete!)_ **

**Real-Life Characters:**

(Name) (Middle Name) (Surname) / Reader

**Earl-April OCs:**

Roxanne

\---

⚠️Mature warning! This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and gore, sexual content, strong language, and imitable behavior. This story could be potentially triggering. This story is not suitable for children or sensitive readers! Please consult the introduction for further details regarding the disclaimers. The predicted age rating for this story is +18. This warning may change. Read at your own risk!⚠️

Cover created by me, image featured in the cover is not mine.  
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir © Thomas Astruc.  
(Name) © You.  
OCs © EarlApril.

© 2020- EARLAPRIL ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Text copyright © EarlApril 2020–

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

If you wish to contact me, you can either email me, send me a message through the comments or contact me via Tumblr.

Email: YandereswithKnives@gmail.com

Tumblr: <https://earl-april.tumblr.com/>

I hope you all enjoy the story!

\- Earl-April


	2. Un

## The Forest

* * *

_What will become of me now?_

_Any thoughts of you make me sad._

_I run from my problems._

_And I run from you._

_I hope you can forgive me._

_It's a long way home._

_And I'm not sure which road I should take now._

_Don't worry, I'm not lonely, though._

_Because I know you're here with me._

Softly amongst the trees, a soft breeze passed by. The leaves of the overheard trees and the bushes rustled softly as the setting sun cast golden rays between the trees. It was slowly nearing dusk, and it was getting cold with the decent of the sun.

You trudged across the dirt path, hands stuffed in your pockets, hoping to conserve heat from the cold autumn wind. You were shivering inside your hoodie, as you kept it zipped and the hood up in hopes of warming your neck. Still, the chilly air got to your cold skin and nipped at it like a hungry animal.

Your earphones were playing a soft melody into your ears while your phone was stuffed inside your pocket, with your Spotify playlist playing your favorite songs on a permanent loop.

It had been a long night, and you were more than ready to jump on the train and get home. You were on your way to the train station so you could get back to Paris and go home. You could almost feel your soft bed waiting for you. Though sad to say, the nearest train station was at the edge of the forest, and that meant you would have to walk down the pedestrian path to get to it. And therefore, that meant you would most likely not make it home until midnight. This was what you got for staying at your friend's house for longer than expected. But hey, it wasn't your fault that you had a few extra drinks and fell asleep on her couch!

You pulled your phone out of your pocket in your jeans and checked your service. As expected, you still had none, so you were unable to use your 4G to look up the route to the train station and see how far you were. So you were just stuck with following the dirt path, which to your understanding, would lead you through the forest to the edge of it, and by extension, the train station. If you somehow got lost despite this, you would have no option but to walk around until you found a spot with some service.

The song you were listening to fell silent as it switched to the next song. Knowing the order of your playlist off by heart, you suddenly realized that you were nearly at the end of it. Which wouldn't have been alarming if this didn't make you realize how long you had been walking for. It must have been at least 2 hours.

Just the mere thought that you had been walking for 2 hours or even longer, made you rub your eyes. Your eyelids drooped and sagged, asking to close fully. Your tired eyes half-heartedly observed your surroundings. Despite being tired, you were able to appreciate the scenery. Although there was no flora to admire, the fauna was still pretty enough. Despite it being autumn, some of the trees were still hanging onto the last bit of summer by still looking as green as ever. The sun broke through the canopy of leaves and cast little light patches here and there. Thankfully, it was the only thing keeping you awake, along with the constant moving of your legs. You were exhausted, and you would only feel okay after a long sleep. Every so often, you would rub your eyes and stretch your muscles, knowing that your aching body was calling out for sleep. Your mind couldn't help but drift to the thought of being able to have a short nap on the train. It was apparent that in this state, you wouldn't last.

 _'Please don't be far...'_ your mind whined as you sighed for the millionth time that evening. You were cold and tired, and you were going to complain about it until you felt a bit better. That's what humans did best right? If something is amiss, it is by law that you must complain about it until you begin to feel a bit more satisfied.

After twenty more minutes of walking, you noticed that the sun was begging to set. You weren't ready to panic yet, but you began to feel a bit of haste to get to the train station. Your train wasn't due to leave until half-past eight. Although, if you missed that, you were unsure if the trains ran through the night, so you decided to hurry your walk more on the off chance they didn't.

You started off with a speed walk, hurrying along the path, and turning the bend. A small part of you hoped that you would have seen the train station in the distance, but this was shot down when you followed the path around the large rocks and saw another long route further into the forest, heading up a small hill. You let out a sigh of exhaustion and frustration and carried on, trying to keep up the prompt pace but eventually getting tired after three minutes.

 _'Jesus, does this place go on forever or what?'_ you wondered, looking through the trees at everything in view. _'I'm starting to think that this train station doesn't exist. If that's indeed the case, then it'll be a long walk back to Roxanne's...'_

You let out a soft moan, knowing that this was all because you got too drunk and passed out. If only you had eaten an apple instead of indulging in the homemade jello shots, you wouldn't have been in that situation. Bad luck seemed to follow you around like the plague. Though, it was clear that 'bad luck' was just a synonym for 'irresponsibility.'

You let out small pants after walking up the hill. By this point, the lactose acid wasn't serving much of a useful purpose, and you were starting to wonder if giving up was an option. You looked across and saw that there was another nearby bend with the path curving around a corner of brambles and small trees that prevented any detours.

As you walked around the corner, you immediately noticed that the path split in several directions. As soon as you began to panic, you felt the hope return to you as you spotted a nearby signpost. It looked old and was partially covered in moss and algae; the wood slowly rotting away with time. You gazed up at the wooden arrows at the top, pointing in five directions. Each one had slightly faded black writing on them.

You walked up to the sign and looked at each one, glancing down at each corresponding path that each was pointing to. The first one you read pointed in the direction you just came. You quickly dismissed it before shifting your attention to the other four with the paths that branched off to the left, right, diagonally left, and straight on.

* * *

 _Provins 3 km_ ⬇

⬅ _Perdu à Jamais 7.8 km_

 _Manoir de la Vallée (Propriété Privée)_ _1.1 mi_ ➡

⬉ _Loin de L'enfer 2.6 km_

░░░░░░░░ 4 _mi_ ⬆

* * *

The panic that stirred in your stomach suddenly returned as you read the signs. First off, some were unsettling, and the second of all, there was no mention of a train station. You looked up at the sky through the trees to see that the sun had gone down and that it was already dusk. You read over the third sign again and checked the time on your phone. It was around seven o'clock, and you still had no service. You looked at the path leading to the right. It stretched along through the forest before curling around another bend. You glanced back at the sign again, debating the idea in your head.

If you couldn't find the train station, then maybe you could ask someone for directions. You had no service still, so calling Roxanne was out of the question. The path to the right led to a mansion. You could only hope that a family or someone was living in it since the sign said it was private property. Maybe if you knocked on the door, they could tell you where the hell you were. You didn't want it to come to this, but you were desperate. You weren't too keen on the idea of knocking on a stranger's door, but the only other option was to stay out there all night and remain lost in the freezing cold.

A small sigh escaped your lips as you rubbed your shivering arms and began walking right, making sure to observe your surroundings in case you needed to backtrack once you finally gathered your bearings.

The sun had all but disappeared behind the horizon, and now the pink color in the sky was slowly fading to black. The first few stars had begun to make an appearance, and you would have stopped to appreciate the scenery if you weren't in a hurried panic. You were to busy trying to remember every last little landmark around you while trying to stop irrationally worrying about the chance of being stuck in the woods all night and having to catch a train the following morning or the fear of someone attacking you in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. You took breaths in and out to calm your panicking and reassured yourself that everything was going to be alright and work out in the end (even though you had no idea what was going to happen).

You shivered and trembled as a cold breeze passed by, blasting you in the face with freezing air. Goosebumps appeared on your skin as you shook like a leaf, desperately hugging yourself as tight as possible, trying to warm yourself up as much as you could.

 _'Fuck me, I need to get out of this cold. Why the fuck didn't I just sleepover at Roxy's or get a taxi or Uber home? Fuck budgeting, this is not worth saving €100, let alone €60,'_ you thought, incoherently grumbling to yourself. To make your situation more ironic, Happy by Pharrell Williams was playing as you were angrily trudging along in the cold. You were very unhappy, and you certainly didn't feel like a room without a roof. God, what you wouldn't give for a room _with_ a roof (walls, floor, and heater included). You were tempted to change the song, your situation was more Adele than Pharrell anyway.

You spent another twenty minutes wandering along the footpath until you saw a black spiked fence in the distance. However, you had begun to feel a few droplets of rain fall from the sky and onto your skin. You hurried over and looked past the fence to see a large chateau surrounded by a front garden. You felt a wave of relief as you walked around the outside of the fence until you made it to the front gates.

Much like the fence, the gates were black. Both were closed shut, blocking the path to the front door. The gates were wide and big, and the stone path circled around a large fountain. No doubt that this was the vehicle entrance. You attempted to push them open, but neither would budge.

You looked around, wondering if there was a smaller gate that you could walk through. After a few moments, you spotted a door gate to your left. Luckily, unlike the large gates that were near impassible, it was only locked with a black, steel bolt that you could easily pull open. You glanced around as you opened the gate and began walking down the thinner path that led to the front door.

It had begun to get quite dark now. You shivered as the rain fell down onto your form. You sped up your walk to the door as you briefly admired the place in passing.

Whoever owned the estate was very rich. From what you had seen already, the place had at least 30 acres of land, but you were positive that there was more. The architecture was a traditional French style design that looked to be from the mid 18th Century. The place itself was made out of stone, but the windowsills and double doors were painted white, giving off an immaculate and bougie atmosphere. Around the perimeter of the yard in front of the fence was box hedging running across them, neat and nicely trimmed. They also ran around in curves making a pattern on each side of the large fountain running in the middle of the yard. The car path circled around it and led through the front gate and into the forest.

You didn't spend too much time admiring the exterior and rushed over to the door, as soon as you began to feel the rain get heavier. You stopped when you approached the front door. Thankfully, the front door had a roof over it, so you weren't too wet, but you would soon have to walk through the rain after you got your directions.

You pressed the brass doorbell next to the door, hearing an old bell rattle from inside as you began to wait. You rubbed your arms in an attempt to warm them up. It didn't necessarily make you feel warmer, and you stopped when you squashed your slightly damp clothes against your arms. You chewed the inside of your lip as you waited for someone to answer the door. When you couldn't hear footsteps, you craned your neck to see if you could spot anyone in the window. All of the lights were off, and you were unable to see anything through the voile curtains.

Feeling impatient, you pressed the button again, hoping to God that the person or people inside weren't ignoring you. You got the feeling that such a big house wouldn't be left unattended. It likely had a lot of furniture and antiques that would be worth a lot of money. Furthermore, even if the owner wasn't in, surely there would at least be a housekeeper, a cleaner, or someone along those lines.

You chewed your lip again and glanced around in frustration, considering just turning around and leaving them be. You weren't sure if being persistent and bashing on the door would help if someone were to indeed answer the door and ask you what the hell you wanted. You imagined that they wouldn't be inclined to help you if you were rude, regardless of how desperate you were.

Suddenly, you were pulled out of your thoughts as the left door opened. Your head snapped back to the double doors as you looked to see the person behind the door. You were confused for a split second when you didn't see anyone, but your eyes immediately snapped down to the ground when you heard a voice address you.

"Sorry about the wait Xìngyùn, it took me a while to get to the door. How can I help you?"

You blinked, staring down at the small turtle standing next to the door, holding it open with his paw. It looked up at you with mild curiosity and contempt. It was green, standing on four legs, staring up at you with its yellow eyes; green pupils locked on you. A polished green shell sat on its back, and around its right paw was a small little bracelet with a turquoise charm. You took a few moments to process what was going on, words unable to leave your mouth.

"Hmm? Do you need something?" it asked again, looking at you with a hint of concern, seeing your face. Its voice was old, and he had a Mandarin accent that was quite pleasant to the ears. You had trouble composing yourself but were finally able to form words.

"U-Uh...do you um know...um..." you began, having trouble getting the words out when you were too distracted by the fact that you were speaking to a talking turtle. "Uh...train station! Do you know where the nearest train station is?" you breathed out, talking somewhat fast to get the words out before you began stuttering again.

"Hmm...train station. There is one around here, but I cannot for the life of me remember where it is..." he mused, tilting his head as he tried to think. You deflated and let out a small sigh, getting the feeling that you would have to find it on your own. "I think I may have a map around here somewhere. Hold tight."

You straightened up, feeling a spark of hope. You watched him turn around to start walking back inside. You held the door open, watching him taking excruciatingly slow steps in the direction of a wooden door to the right.

Inside, you saw the main hall with several doors and a giant staircase. The place was massive and went up quite high. The floor was a polished marble with a giant rug spread across the floor with swirls and sewn pictures of flowers on it. Several marble pillars were keeping the place up, and the stairs were a rich wood with a red carpet draped across them. The room had a warm color scheme of gold, cream, white, red, and brown, giving the place a rich, luxurious atmosphere. Several exotic plants lined the corner with a few armchairs gathered around a small table in the middle, not too far from the fireplace, where a warm fire was burning logs, keeping the place warm. You could feel the warm heat from where you stood, in comparison to the cold, wet air from outside. You felt guilty holding the door open and letting all of the warm air out, but a small part of you that you were ashamed to admit you had, was yelling at you to run in and make yourself at home by the fire.

You glanced at the turtle and then to the door it was heading to, before glancing back down at him. At the pace he was going, you would be standing there all night, as he made slow, small steps across the floor. You felt a sudden wave of burning frustration but held it back, reasoning that you had no right to get angry if he couldn't help it. Though that didn't mean you weren't going to do anything about it, you were in a rush after all.

"Um, excuse me?" you called out, as the turtle turned his head back to you.

"Hm?"

"I can uh...I get it for you if you like?" you politely smiled, purposely avoiding mentioning anything about his walking speed. You would be lying if you said it didn't look like he was pushing himself.

The turtle smiled, "Ah, yes, that would be a big help! I'm not as fast as I used to be."

For some reason, you highly doubted that, but you kept the smile on your face as you approached him after closing the door behind you. Again, you would be lying if you said you didn't have a hidden ulterior motive in your choice to help him out. It was freezing, and standing in the warm room really took a load off.

"The map is probably in the living room. Sorry if this seems rude, but you wouldn't mind picking me up, would you? I imagine you'll have trouble finding it on your own," he sheepishly smiled.

"Not at all," you smiled, reaching down and picking him up from the floor. He was slightly heavier than you expected him to be, but carrying him was by no means a tedious task. As you settled him to rest comfortably in your arms, you walked over to the door he was heading to.

"May I ask your name, Xìngyùn?"

"Oh, it's (Name). What's yours?"

"Fu Wang," he smiled, slightly shifting in your arms. "So what brings you all the way out here (Name)? Looks to me you've come a long way to catch a train. Where did you say you came from?"

You opened the door to the living room and stepped in, taking in the whole atmosphere. Much like in the main hall, there was a fire, bringing heat into the room. The floor was walnut wood with a large ivory and flax colored carpet across the floor, pairing well with the cream and white floral vine patterned wallpaper. Gold and white velvet armchairs and chaise longues were lined around it with a small glass coffee table in the middle. In the corner of the room, was a large TV with a large cabinet of books and scrolls lined up on the shelves like soldiers. The lights were off, but there was a window to the right letting in an adequate amount of light from outside. The window looked out at the front yard with voile curtains pulled closed, while the thicker cream tapestry curtains remained pulled open. Opposite the fireplace was a redwood writing desk with various papers and a fountain pen laid out across it. The chair was slightly pulled out, making you wonder if someone had just recently been writing there.

"I didn't. I just came from my friend's house in Perdu à Jamais. I was told that the nearest train station was around here since I'm trying to get back to Paris."

"Ah, I see now! But that's a bit strange..."

"Hm?"

"Well, you see since logically there would be a... _ah nevermind_! You're here now, hm? Best get you back home as soon as possible, you look drained."

You chuckled, looking down at your appearance. Your hair was a mess from the wind and slightly damp from catching a bit of the rain, and your makeup was slightly smudged after a long day. Even after having a nap, you were tired and still had some alcohol still in your system, so your movements must have been a little groggy.

"I'll be okay, I've faced worse," you replied, giving him a reassuring smile as he directed you over to the bookcase. "This is a lovely house, by the way. Is it yours?"

Fu chuckled, "Oh no, I only take care of it, it's not mine. The owner isn't here right now, so I'm in charge until they get back."

"Oh, I see," you nodded as you opened up the cabinet after placing Fu on the first shelf so he could scan the books. You didn't want to pry into who the owner was, but you knew that if you owned a place like this, you would never want to leave.

A silence fell between the two of you as you stood there, watching him scan each spine. You began to pick at your nails as your eyes wandered the room again, taking in every fine detail. You wondered how much the place was worth. No doubt, it was worth more than your life savings. You had once watched a documentary on historic chateaus, and you recalled that some of them were worth six to eight million euros. You wondered if this place was around the same price — maybe even more? Either way, the person who owned it sure was lucky. You wouldn't be surprised if they descended from a Vicomte or a Comte, the place was a literal palace!

A few minutes went by until Fu asked to be lifted onto the next shelf. You wondered how long this was going to take. You hoped to God that the trains ran throughout the night since you were starting to get very anxious about missing the 8:30 train. You silently watched Fu scan the spines of each book as you observed him with a confused frown.

"Um, I don't want to sound rude, but...may I ask how you're able to talk?" you asked, praying that he wouldn't get offended.

"Hm? Never seen a talking turtle before?"

"Uh...no, I can't say that I have..." you awkwardly replied, doing your best to keep the sarcasm out of your tone.

"Well, I suppose it's caused by the magic of the chateau. It lets us gain human intelligence like how to talk, read, write, build, problem solve, use electronics, make jokes — you get the idea," he responded, throwing you a glance from over his shoulder. You nodded, taking it all in. The idea of it was childishly ridiculous, but the same could be said about a talking turtle, but here you are. You were surprised how chilled out he was about talking to a stranger. If you were a talking turtle, wouldn't you want to hide? Wasn't he afraid of you stomping on him or telling people? The former notion was cruel, and the latter wasn't very believable, but that wasn't really the point. Maybe you were hallucinating? Or was this a dream? You wouldn't be surprised; you drank yourself to sleep earlier. You dearly hoped you were fast asleep in Roxanne's warm living room and not freezing cold in the middle of nowhere in some stranger's home.

You and Fu made light conversation as he looked along each of the shelves. Eventually, after placing him on the top and final shelf, you began to wander around the room, observing everything. You took an interest in the papers on the desk, seeing them messily scattered on top of each other. You looked down, reading what was on the top page.

* * *

_Chapter 8_

_The Apprentice was jealous. As they had seen before, another one of the beautiful weapons had been given away to another wielder. For this one was the Bee, a hair comb with the power of subjection, granting the wielder with an ability to immobilize their opponent with a sting._

_Pollen had gone to a young, rich girl with blonde hair. She was attractive, but the same couldn't be said for her personality, at least that's what the Apprentice thought. She was greedy, selfish, and unpleasant — all the things that a Miraculous holder wasn't. Yet, here they were, with the hair comb and the kwami now in her possession — another hope gone to the wind. At least the first two were able to prove that they were worthy...as little as they did._

_The Apprentice didn't want to question the Master's judgment, but it was an unprecedented choice letting the new Ladybug choose this unnamed girl for a Miraculous, regardless of how long she was going to have it for._

_This made seven. Seven Miraculous now given away to complete strangers. Two of which had fallen into the wrong hands._

_Who was next?_

* * *

You raised an eyebrow, wondering who was writing a novel. It looked like an ongoing manuscript written in the most traditional form. You wondered why they were handwriting it as opposed to writing in on a laptop, but you weren't one to judge. The story looked interesting enough, but it was hard to follow along without reading the earlier chapters.

"Are you a writer Mr. Wang?" you asked as you turned away from the desk to look at the turtle walking across the shelf, eyes fixed on the long line of books.

"Yes, but I didn't write that one. That one is being written by one of the other residents in this house."

"Oh, I didn't realize you had guests. I'm so sorry for intruding—"

"Oh, don't worry at all, Xìngyùn! You're the guest here! Everyone else is just a member of the family," he smiled.

You went quiet after that, wondering if the other people in the estate were humans or more talking animals like Fu. Surely you were dreaming. Oh well, you might as well carry on if that was the case. If you were only dreaming, then you obviously didn't have a train to catch. Though, this felt very real. Maybe you were hallucinating then? Or having one of those weird astral projection things that you had read about on the internet? You would likely find out later. Either way, you decided to roll with it for now.

A minute later, Fu let out a sigh as he turned to you, gaining your attention. His look was apologetic, and you could only guess what was coming.

"I'm sorry, but I can't seem to find it. I bet someone moved it back to the Library."

You blinked, not too disappointed but frustrated that this would take even longer. He seemed solemn, but why? Wouldn't it just take maybe another ten minutes at most? Perhaps even less if you hurried.

"Well, I can go get it for you if you want? It's no trouble, unless..." you trailed off, beginning to wonder if he didn't want you going there for some reason. You walked up to the bookshelf and picked him up again, lowering him down, so he was in our arms again.

He smiled, "You look quite washed out. Are you sure you want to be walking alone through a forest in the dark? And in the rain, no less..."

You raised an eyebrow at his remark. Where was he going with this? You hoped he wasn't implying what you thought he was implying. If that was the case, you couldn't accept it.

"It's okay. It's only seven, and the rain isn't too bad," you shrugged, glancing at the window, suddenly beginning to feel like your opinion was a lie. In essence, it was, since you were freezing cold and as tired as a walking corpse.

"It's getting late, and you already look exhausted as it is. No doubt, you'll catch a cold if you go walking in the rain without a coat and umbrella."

"Like I said, it's okay. I need to get going soon anyway, I'm not sure if the trains run all night and I want to get there to catch the 8:30 one, just in case they don't," you smiled, despite having to force it onto your face.

Your mind was screaming at you to admit the truth and explain that you were cold and fatigued, but you were too polite to intrude on the house, especially since the owner was away.

The turtle frowned, "You can stay here for the night, it's no trouble. We have more than enough rooms and, excuse my bluntness, but you look like death. That forest isn't a place you should be in the middle of the night. I don't want to scare you, but you made a silly decision coming around here at this hour, all alone."

You sighed, "Yeah, I realize that. But I'm just desperate to get home, y'know? I couldn't stay at my friend's apartment all night when her family was over, and I'm not too fond of taxis so..."

"You can stay here tonight. I can tell from your expression that you don't want to go out there, and I don't want to stand by and see something happen to you when I could have done something. We can find that map in the morning."

You softly smiled, "Thank you."

Fu returned it, "You're welcome. Now sit down and get warm, I'll be back in a minute. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you," you replied before sitting down on the chaise longue nearest the fire. Fu then jumped off the table and onto the floor before beginning his walk to the door. A few seconds later, you realized something and turned to look back down at the turtle. "Wait a minute, do you want me to take you there since—"

You ended up cutting yourself off as you looked around to try and find him. A second ago, he was right by the coffee table, and now he was gone. You turned around and scanned the whole room for him, but there was no sign.

 _'Huh...seems he can walk fast after all...'_ you thought as you turned back around and silently watched the flames dance across the burning logs. For a few moments, you began to daydream and think back on your day. The heat from the fire felt nice as you began to feel your body quickly start to heat up. Despite it only being autumn, it was colder at night now that the sun had gone down. Just as you had begun to relax, you were pulled out of your thoughts.

You jumped as the door slammed to your left. You quickly snapped your head in the direction of it, seeing that it was now slammed shut. You let out a sigh, and put a hand over your heart after having a mini heart attack. Your eyes went back over to the door, wondering the draft had come from. You then began to wonder how Fu would be able to open the door now. He may have the mind of a human, but he was still a turtle and that no doubt must have come with its limits.

You sighed through your nose and got up, walking over to the door. You wondered where Fu had gone since he hadn't specified where he was going or what he was doing. But there again, that was his business, and you had no obligation to know.

You twisted the golden knob on the door and pulled. The door simply made a rattle, as it refused to open. You blinked, and tried again, only to get the same result. A sudden dread washed over you as you glanced around helplessly.

Did someone lock the door?

* * *

_**Check my[Tumblr](https://yandereswithknives.tumblr.com/) for updates!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N (January, 12th 2020): This is a short novella that I plan to write. This first chapter is a pitch and a 'pilot' chapter to see how things are. If you guys like it, I'll continue the rest of the story and start publishing these chapters alongside CP. And don't worry, this story is short and will not take up much of my time that is dedicated to writing CP. I hope you enjoyed it! If you want to leave a comment and tell me what you thought and whether I should continue this, please do so, it would be a big help! 😊


	3. Deux

## The Dining Room

* * *

You mentally cursed as you began to panic slightly. Where was Fu? Would he be back soon? And if so, could he be much help?

Who locked the door? And why? Surely they would have noticed you were in there; the lights were on for fuck's sake!

 _'Merde, this really isn't my night..'_ you thought with a groan. First, you got drunk, then you were forced to walk through a forest alone, then to get lost, and now you were locked in a room in a stranger's house? Could things get anymore unfortunate?

You decided to try the door again, a bit more roughly this time, hoping to God that there was the off chance that the door was only jammed and that you could pull it open with a bit of force. You made a few more attempts, all in vain, until you decided to stop for good, not wanting to wreak the very expensive mahogany door.

"Hey, uh, can someone let me out? The door's locked!" you called out, hoping that someone was nearby. You waited a few seconds for a response until calling out again. "Hey, I'm locked in here!" you yelled, feeling your patience quickly decrease.

Why did everything seem to go wrong when you were in a rush? Everything was determined to get in your way and make your trip all the more frustrating and miserable. If only you were heading somewhere, you didn't want to go like school or work. This would have been a great excuse not to turn up or procrastinate getting there. Unfortunately, life didn't work like that, and bad situations just seemed to follow you around like the plague.

"Hey!" you screamed while pressing your ear to the door in hopes of hearing footsteps or any sound that indicated that someone was nearby and on their way to help you. God forbid, someone better not have been ignoring you! You made a few more attempts before letting out a sigh and flopping down on the chaise longue. You were already tired, and calling out did nothing to help you regain some energy.

 _'Oh well, I imagine Fu will be on his way back here. I trust that he wouldn't have completely forgotten about me...'_ you thought as you rested your head on the pillow that was tempting you to lie down.

The warmth of the fire was comforting as it warmed your wet jeans and your soaked green hoodie. As the clock on the mantelpiece ticked, you began to feel yourself calm down. Stress and frustration were two very draining emotions. You let your eyelids shut, telling yourself that you would only rest for a few minutes.

However, the temptation of sleep was a hard one to resist. The soft cushion, tender warmth, and the faint crackling of the fire was enough to help lull you to sleep.

◈四◈

At the sound of distant banging, your eyes slowly opened. Your vision was burring, and your mind was drowsy. The banging continued as you lifted your head and sat up, rubbing your eyes in the process. You looked around yourself to see that you were in an unfamiliar living room.

Where were you?

What happened?

Who's house was this?

You frantically looked around in a panic, until the memories quickly came rushing back to you. You remembered walking through the forest, knocking on a stranger's door for directions and then getting locked in a living room after the talking turtle walked off.

You rubbed your aching head. Somehow you had a painful headache and a pounding sensation in your head like a second heartbeat.

You glanced at the door through the dark and wondered how long you had been asleep. By the looks of it from the state of the fire, it had at least been a few hours. And, from the looks of it, no one had been in the room while you had been asleep.

You stretched your muscles and got up, rubbing your temples as you made your way over to the door. You tried the door and jumped in surprise when it swung open when you tried the knob, definitely not expecting it to open.

You were met with a dark main hall as the light from the living room flooded into it. The distant banging that you had been hearing came to an abrupt halt as soon as you opened the door, leaving the whole estate deathly silent.

You couldn't help but involuntarily shiver as you scanned the room. Apart from the light on the floor, the whole place was dark, besides the fire, which was in a similar state to the one in the living room — slowly dying. The room was colder than it had been earlier, and it could have just been the darkness, but somehow it looked less welcoming than it did when you arrived.

Somehow, you were put off from calling out. You figured that the other people that Fu had mentioned were probably asleep. You glanced at the grandfather clock next to you, seeing that it was four o'clock. Though, you soon looked away and disregarded the time after noticing that the pendulum was not moving and that the clock was not ticking. You tried to check your phone, but it refused to turn on. It was out of battery...typical.

You walked toward the door nearest you and tried to open it. Unfortunately, it was locked, so you tried the door beside it. As you reached out to open it, you stopped, hearing muffled voices from inside. The voices sounded feminine, but you were unable to make out what they were saying. Not wanting to be rude, you knocked on the door and patiently waited. The two voices suddenly stopped their conversation and fell silent. You bit your lip as you waited for someone (another animal possibly) to answer the door.

You began to feel a little awkward and uneasy after a minute of standing there. Whoever was talking obviously had no interest in paying you any mind. Not being able to get up was no excuse since they could have just said 'come in' or something of the like. After a moment of inner turmoil, you reached out to the doorknob, following a moment of hesitation.

You opened the door to be met with a fancy dining room. You stood in the doorway, and stared at the empty table, set up for a fancy dinner. The white candles were lit, but there was no one there, nor was there much food set out. The cutlery was polished silver, the wine glasses were pure crystal, and the plates were white china with golden rose patterns around the rim.

You flipped the light switch next to the door to see the tulip-shaped glass lights on the wall light up. You looked around, getting a better look at everything now that you weren't relying on candlelight to see. The room was quite big, with a long rectangular table in the middle with fancy wooden chairs all gathered around it. Next to the wall, there was a mahogany table with a painting hanging above it. It wasn't anything special but of a bowel of fruit. Above the mahogany table was a large crystal chandelier that no doubt cost at least a thousand euros. The walls had a white wallpaper with floral gold patterns, and the smooth wooden floor matched the table. In the corner of the room, diagonally across from you, there was a white door that led somewhere else.

As you walked up to the table, you saw a yellow rose lying on the white plate in the place next to the head of the table. It was lying there like someone had just placed it down as a gift for someone next to some triangular cheese sandwiches. On the plate next to it at the head of the table was a bee standing on some honey sandwiches that were oozing honey onto the white plate.

You looked down at the two places before looking around again. You were sure you heard voices in this room. Though, they could have easily left through the door on the left. Yet, you didn't recall hearing any sounds of movement or a door opening.

In the middle of the table near the rose and the bee was a white and gold porcelain tureen that matched the rest of the tableware. You curiously lifted the lid to see a steamy bowel of stew filled with potatoes, carrots, onions, herbs, and slices of meat. You were wafted with the mouth-watering smell, and immediately you were hungry.

"Have some."

You jumped and looked around for the owner of the voice. As you looked around to your left, you didn't see anyone who could have spoken in the direction the voice came from.

"What...?"

" _Hello_? Are you deaf? I'm down here!"

You looked down at the plate to see the bee fly off the honey sandwich to come eye level with you. You stared for a few seconds, feeling very confused but suddenly remembered Fu. This really wasn't as far fetched now that you had spoken with a talking turtle.

"Uh...sorry?"

"I was offering you the stew, you look hungry," she huffed. The spoke in a feminine voice with an irritated tone. She didn't appear too friendly.

"Oh uh, thank you, but um...do you know where Fu is? I assume you know him?" you asked, losing interest in the stew.

"Fu? Oh wait, the old man?" she scoffed as she returned to standing on the honey sandwich. "Don't know, don't care."

You frowned, looking down at the small honey bee with a slight look of disdain. You wondered if she was always this unpleasant.

"What's your name?" you heard another voice ask. You looked down at the plate next to you to look down at the small yellow rose lying there. Her voice was higher and softer compared to the bee.

"Uh, (Name)."

"Why are you here?" the bee huffed, looking up at you, frowning.

"I asked Fu for some directions, and he told me to stay here overnight."

"Huh...is that so? Nice of him to invite a complete stranger to stay at my house."

"Your house?" you questioned, feeling confused. Wasn't the owner meant to be away?

"Chloé—" the rose began as the bee cut her off.

"This is _my_ house, so... _get out_..."

You frowned at her words, "First off, that's extremely rude, and second, I was told that the owner of the house was away."

She snorted, "And who gave you that idea?"

"Fu."

The bee laughed, "Well, he was wrong!"

"Something tells me he wasn't," you frowned. "Anyway, who are you two?"

"Queen Bee!"

"And I'm Sabrina!" the rose timidly added with joy.

"I see...if you two don't mind me asking—"

"Ugh! Sit down then!" Queen Bee interrupted with a dramatic sigh.

You blinked, "Sorry? I don't follow..."

"Weren't you just about to indirectly ask to sit down? Well, instead of being annoying and beating around the bush, just cut to the chase! I don't like you towering over me like that!" she scoffed as you sat down in the chair opposite Sabrina. You weren't sure where she was getting these ideas from, but you were sure that sitting down was the last thing on your mind when you found her to be quite unpleasant.

"Thank God! You have an enormous head!" she sighed in relief.

Your eye twitched in irritation, " _Thanks_..."

You looked around the table upon getting the chance to examine it a bit closer. It didn't have much food laid out apart from the pot and what was on Queen Bee's and Sabrina's plates, but there were a few little finger food items around like olives, chopped pickles, and pickled onions.

You noticed that there was another note to your left, laid out on the table. You observed it curiously, feeling Queen Bee's eyes on you.

"Oh, that's been left on here for ages. Don't know why they get left around the place."

You didn't respond to her and scanned the words, recognizing the penmanship as the same one that wrote the other chapter. With mild curiosity, you read the page.

* * *

_Chapter 3_

_Fu was worried. Now that Paris was under attack by a corrupt Miraculous holder, Paris was in need of someone to protect it from evil. Nooroo was in trouble and a slave to the wielder as he used the Butterfly Miraculous for malevolent purposes._

_But what could he do when he was now too old to take care of it himself? His back wasn't the same as it used to be, and now instead of battling crime, he was battling the torment of his arthritis. He had only one option._

_The Apprentice knew that this day would one day come. The day that their master would no longer be able to use Wayzz to keep the evils of the world at bay. The Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous had gone to that couple since they had managed to prove that they were able to take on the responsibility to use them to help prevent crime in places other than Paris._

_Both had the power to gift powers to others, and at first, the plan was to create heroes to protect other places around the globe. And in the event something went wrong, the Miraculous holder could take the powers away from that corrupt individual. It didn't occur to the Apprentice or Fu that the corrupt individual would be the man with the Miraculous._

_Yet, despite the knowledge, the Apprentice remembered the day when those two Miraculous were given away. They were only young then, but they remembered how beautiful they both were. The woman looked like a Goddess, and the man looked a cool model from a Vogue magazine cover. When they both received their Miraculous, the Apprentice felt an overwhelming joy._

_From that point onwards, they began to wonder if the Master was saving one for them as well. This thought then grew into hope as the Apprentice began to wonder which one they wanted, wondering if Fu was going to let them choose one when they came of age. The Apprentice knew which one they wanted._

_The Ladybug and the Cat Miraculous had always been their favorite. It was hard to decide between the two, but they knew that they would know in time. A small part of them dreamt about having both, but they knew that that was just greedy and that the one they didn't choose would hopefully go to someone worthy of it. A partner, maybe?_

_Yet, it was no to be._

* * *

You thought back to the other chapter, and how it mentioned a bee. Your eyes then drifted over to Queen Bee, wondering if it was just a coincidence or if the author had used her as an inspiration. Though you had to admit, you were unable to see what about her was even the littlest bit inspirational.

"So why are you lurking around here, fathead?"

" _Excuse me_?" you glowered, shooting daggers in Bee's direction.

"Oh uh...d-don't mind her. She just wants to know what brought you in here," Sabrina rephrased meekly. Her interjection managed to get you to temporarily turn your attention away from Bee. Though, anyone could see that it was more for her benefit than yours. You were just about ready to briefly leave the room to look for the nearest bottle of insecticide.

_"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!"_

"Well, I got locked in the living room back there, and Fu said he would come back, but he hasn't. Do you know where he is?" you asked and grabbed a bowel to eat some of the stew after giving Bee a look, silently asking her if you could have some even though she offered earlier. She waved her front leg in dismissal, allow you to eat. You were quite hungry, after all.

"Well, he likes to wander around a lot, so I'm not sure if he would be here."

"Right okay...uhh...he mentioned a Library, do you know where that is?" you asked, scooping some stew into a bowl.

"Oh, that's upstairs, so you'll have to go to the first floor and take a right down the corridor."

"Okay, thanks."

"But you'll need a key to get in there," Queen Bee sang, and you could hear the smirk in her tone. You directed your attention to the bee who was nibbling on her sandwich with a mild look of aversion.

"You've got to be kidding me..." you groaned.

"So, if you want it, do me a favor!"

You raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"Sabrina?" she asked, turning her attention to the yellow rose.

"O-Oh, yes! Well, um, Queen Bee lost her hair comb after someone stole it and we can't get it back since I can't walk, and Queen Bee can't carry it so if you were to go get it—"

"Fuck that! Go find the little fucker who took it, take it back and make them sorry!" she growled and flew up to your face, making you flinch when she got a little too close to your eye. "Go find the smelly alley cat and dump some water on him or something!"

You raised an eyebrow, "So, a cat stole your hair thingy?"

"Ugh, look at them, Sabrina! They're obviously no help at all!"

"Oh um—"

"Look, if you have the key, then I'll be willing to get your hair comb back for you if I find the guy who took it."

"Not good enough! I want justice!" she huffed. "If you go, teach him a lesson and get my hair comb, then I'll go get the key for you. That's only fair, right?"

You clicked your tongue and rolled your eyes. This bee was really getting on your nerves. Oh, how you wanted to grab her by the wings and teach _her_ a lesson. "Fine. I'll go find the cat and get your hair comb for you. I'll only rough him up a bit if he's unreasonable, deal?"

Queen Bee rolled her eyes but agreed nonetheless, flying back over to her sandwich. You breathed a sigh of relief as you tried some of the stew. It was delicious.

"So coming back to what I was going to ask earlier, is there a reason why you're a bee, and you're a rose, Sabrina?" you asked, looking among the two girls.

"Well, I think I'm yellow because of Queen Bee," Sabrina said proudly, "but I don't know why I'm a rose when everyone else is mostly insects or animals..."

"None of us know why we're the way we are. We just are what we are," Bee shrugged and nibbled more on her sandwich. You nodded and took all of the information in as you had another spoonful of the stew.

"This stew is really nice, especially the meat. Is it quail? It's very tender and rich."

"No, it's roast kwami. A rare delicacy in East Asia," Sabrina explained as you looked down at the meat in interest.

"Kwami...never had that before," you shrugged and had another spoonful, savoring the rich and tender meat.

"So, are you going to be on your way?" Queen Bee sighed, seemingly getting bored of your presence.

You sighed and stood up, "Yeah, I'll be going now."

You made your way over to the door you came in from and tried the knob. The door only rattled, indicating that it had been locked. You let out a yell of frustration as you suppressed the urge to punch a wall.

"Shut it, King Kong!" Queen Bee screamed in anger at your outburst.

"Ugh, who the hell keeps locking these doors! When did it even lock? I didn't even hear a click or anything!" you hissed.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. The manor likes to lock its doors now and then. Not sure why it does that..." Sabrina explained apologetically.

"Well, can the fucking manor please stop? It's making my life very difficult!" you huffed.

"Guess you'll have to try the door over there..."

You sighed, "And where does this one lead? Can I get back to the main hall through it?"

"It leads to the drawing-room. They'll be a door to the kitchen in there, and then through the hall, there is a door that loops around into the main hall. I imagine you may find the cat around there somewhere, he often likes to raid the kitchen for croissants," Sabrina explained.

"Okay, thanks. I'm assuming you two will be here?"

"Well, it's not like Sabrina can go very far. Ugh! Sabrina, why'd you have to be a flower? Why couldn't you be a dog or something, then I wouldn't have to lug you around!"

"S-Sorry..."

You sighed and walked over to the door on the left side of the room and tried the knob. As expected, the door swung open, and you entered the living room, leaving behind the rude bee, and the doormat rose. You closed the door behind you and let their voices become muffled noises.

You let out an exhausted sigh as you flipped on the lights, ready for whatever new surprises were to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can probably already see, this story is quite different from my other fanfictions. For one, it's shorter, and both the chapters and the fanfic as a whole will be shorter. This was never intended to be anything big like Cipher Psychosis but much simpler while still keeping a dark, enigmatic plot. This fanfic was actually based on a dream I had along with multiple RPG games like The Witch's House, Stray Cat Crossing, Wadanohara and the Deep Blue Sea, and IB. You can probably tell already from the RPGish structure and people getting Reader to do shit for them lol! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm going to do some extra proofreading so don't be surprised if this chapter and the one before it changes just slightly. Expect to see chapter 3 very soon! Thanks for reading!


	4. Trois

## The Kitchen ****

* * *

You flipped on the lights and looked around the drawing room with interest. Much like the living room, it was fancy and covered in intricate designs that almost made the room look too fancy.

From the looks of it, the chateau mostly had a traditional 18th Century French theme with a few modern additions here and there. The walls were blue and covered in intricate floral designs of roses. The seats and chaise longues were baby blue and silver, while the carpet was cream. The fire was lit, and the blue curtains were closed, shutting out the wind and heavy rain outside. You admired how each room had its own individual design and color theme.

You looked around the room for Queen Bee's hair comb. You doubted you would find it by chance without asking the cat that allegedly took it, but taking the time to look here and there was worth a shot. It would save time if you were fated to stumble across it. (Though, you were beginning to wonder why a bee that small would even have use for a hair comb. Maybe it was a sentimental thing? Or perhaps she just liked to collect things? God knows.)

You walked over to the bureau on the other side of the room. It had a bunch of letters and notes stacked together in a corner with a leather planner laid on the desk. You scanned the letters and skimmed over the one that wasn't in a sealed envelope.

* * *

_Chapter 2_

_As the Apprentice grew up, they soon learned of the secret the Master kept. After all, what kind of adoptive father and teacher would he be if he hid them from their destiny?_

_The Apprentice would sit and listen to the stories of each Miraculous inside the box. In light of a bedtime story, their master would tell different accounts of each kwami and wielder through time, sometimes letting that kwami tell the tale themself. Many stories were happy or humorous, but sometimes the Apprentice would ask to hear the sad ones too, despite the kwami's and the Master's reluctance. But each time the story was told, the Apprentice never seemed regretful that they had heard it, for it was the truth, and there was no use hiding from it, regardless of whether the story had a happy ending._

_As the Apprentice grew up, they began to learn more and more about the world and the Miraculous. Often, there were times when the Apprentice would open the Miraculous box when the Master was not looking and admire them. A child's curiosity was hard to snuff as the Apprentice became especially attracted to the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous. After hearing the most exciting stories from Tikki and Plagg, it was difficult for them not to fall in love with the hope that one day they would wield one or possibly even both Miraculous when they got older.  
_

_They particularly liked the story of one particular Miraculous user from the late 19th Century who wielded both the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, working as a detective for Scotland Yard and solving crimes in London. The Apprentice wanted to be like her. They hoped that carrying on their master's work was their destiny. They hoped that one day, they would become a Miraculous holder and make their master proud.  
_

* * *

You blinked, recognizing the same penmanship and words. It was another chapter like the two you had read earlier. You looked around for any other pieces of paper, but all that was left were sealed letters that didn't look the slightest bit interesting.

You put the paper down and looked around in the draws for any hair combs. Unfortunately, there was nothing besides fountain pens, books, envelopes, and paper. You let out a sigh and scanned the rest of the room before heading over to the door.

You tried the knob and mentally cheered when it opened. You looked down at the wooden staircase that led down into the servants' hall. You sighed at the sight of the short stairs. You took careful steps down, occasionally slipping here and there. Seriously, why make stairs like this? They're practically designed for accidents!

Eventually, you made it down in once piece and looked around. Multiple doors led into various rooms. There was a door leading to the servants' quarters, one to the servants' dining room, one into the pantry, another into the butler's office, and finally, one into the kitchen.

You heard a shuffle from inside the kitchen as you approached the door across from you. A red fox sitting on the table, next to a Red Velvet cake. It was beautifully decorated and looked a lot like a birthday cake with candles positioned in a circle at the top. The fox looked bored, eyeing the cake next to it while trying to focus on a book in front of it. You stood in the doorway, before reluctantly entering the room.

The fox looked up when it heard your footsteps. It raised its eyebrows and stared at you in surprise.

"Uh, hi," you began, giving a small smile.

"Hey," it greeted in a laidback, feminine voice. She turned to fully face you, looking at you with a curious expression.

"Um, have you seen a hair comb around here?" you asked politely.

The fox shook her head, "No, not that I recall. Did you lose something, girl?"

"Uh, the bee upstairs lost one. She asked if I could find it. She told me that it might be around here somewhere," you elaborated, glancing around the room.

The fox's eyes suddenly lit up in realization. "Oh, now, I understand! You must mean Chloé," she remarked. "Yeah, she's been looking for that hair comb for a while now. I wouldn't worry about it, don't let her make you do her dirty work."

"She agreed to help me with something for me if I did this for her. She said it was in possession of a cat?" you inquired, saying the last bit more like a question rather than the statement it should have been. You gave the fox a small smile, hoping that would help draw some answers out of her.

She smirked, "Yeah, I think I know who you're on about. Unfortunately, you just missed him."

You deflated as the fox crossed the table and jumped onto the counter. You got tired of awkwardly standing at the door and came into the kitchen, watching her rummage through the cabinets.

"He was just in here about half an hour ago to get some croissants, but I have no idea where he's gone now. Probably vegging in a pile of mess somewhere," she sighed, removing a box of macaroons after awkwardly pulling the box out with her mouth. "Do you want anything to eat?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you," you replied, though you were secretly a bit peckish. One bowl of stew wasn't enough, apparently. God, you were such a glutton. You should probably get that sorted out.

"You sure?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at you.

You looked down and finally yielded to the call of your hunger. "Yeah, I'm actually pretty hungry."

She smiled, "Thought so. You want some brioche? It's fresh out of the oven."

You nodded enthusiastically and sat down at the table. The fox picked up a foiled loaf in her mouth and jumped from the counter and back onto the table. She laid it down before returning to get a plate and her macaroons.

You removed a slice of the warm bread with your fingers and started munching it down happily. You began to wonder how much you were aloud since you were famished. You decided to keep eating until she took it off you for being greedy.

"What's your name?" the fox asked curiously, nibbling on her pink macaroons.

"(Name)," you replied, shoving another chunk into your mouth. "You?"

"Rena Rouge," she smiled, giving you a playful salute.

You chuckled, "Nice to meet you."

"So what are you doing down here (Name)? Besides looking for Chloé's hair comb, that is."

"I'm trying to find a map, so find out where I am and get home. Though it's proven to be more trouble than expected. Apparently, there is one in the Library, would you know much about that?" you inquired, hoping Rena would know where it was or maybe where another key was, which would save you the trouble of looking for Queen Bee's hair comb and get home quicker.

"Ah, I see. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know much about the Library. I spend most of my time down here or outside. I don't like to go upstairs," she admitted. She looked quite uncomfortable, avoiding your gaze for a brief moment.

You rose an eyebrow, munching on your brioche. "Why's that?"

She looked back at you with an uneasy expression. "It's not very nice up there."

You tilted your head, making your confusion evident. You were about to inquire until she turned her head away, and you decided against it. She clearly didn't want to delve any further into the matter. You glanced back at the bread as Rena ate her last macaroon.

"Whereabouts is this cat likely to be?" you asked, changing the subject back to your little mission.

"Not sure. I guess you could start looking down in the servants' quarters. Unlike the rest of us, he doesn't really stick to one place, so it's mostly a case of trial and error until you find him," she shrugged. You sighed and nodded, finished your brioche with only the tin foil remaining in a crumpled ball.

"Very well, then. Thank you for the food and the help," you smiled, getting up.

Rena returned it, "No problem. Come back if you're feeling hungry."

"Thank you," you smiled and got up from the table, heading for the door. You turned and headed out into the corridor. You looked to your left and noticed the entrance to the office was open. A piece of paper was left on the desk. Out of curiosity, you walked over and read it.

* * *

_Chapter 4_

_The Master rushed around the room, preparing for the big moment. The Apprentice stood in the middle of the room, watching everything unfold. They could see the mix of anxiousness and anticipation in the Master's expression as he raked through his wardrobe to find a new shirt._

_The Master had explained to them a week ago that he had singled out two potentials for two Miraculous. He was excited to test them, as he put it._

_But the question that lingered in the Apprentice's mind was how the hell you could test someone for a Miraculous. Discerning whether someone was compatible with a Miraculous was anything but easy. It wasn't measurable, like giving someone a high school exam and grading them based on their score. They needed a long-term understanding of the responsibility, extensive training, and you even need the right type of personality and core virtues. The Master knew better than anyone that you couldn't just give a Miraculous to any random person on the street. The Apprentice believed that no such test existed._

_Yet here they were._

_The Apprentice questioned their master, expressing their concerns about his plan. The Butterfly Miraculous had gone to a depraved individual who was now using it for malicious intent. As for what happened to the Peacock Miraculous, the Apprentice and the Master could only guess. What made him so confident after his mistake? What had convinced him against the idea that history would repeat itself?_

_The Apprentice was assured that their worries were unneeded. The Master was sure that his plan would go well. The Apprentice could only go along with it and watch from the sidelines as everything would unfold.  
_

_As the Master got ready to leave the apartment, the Apprentice began to wonder about their role in everything. What part would they play in this? Would these two be their future partners? The Master had yet to mention what Miraculous they would get when the time came. But every time the Apprentice went to ask, the question always died on their tongue before they could articulate it._

_Their time would come eventually; they knew that. They just had to wait a little longer. The Master was probably keeping as a surprise or something. He always went to a lot of trouble to secretly organize their birthday party or hide their Christmas presents._

_Still, this trip out was not about them. It was about two people who had caught their master's eye. They could at least try to be a bit more optimistic. Regardless of their worries, the Apprentice was willing to go along with the Master's plan regardless._

_The Apprentice couldn't help but wonder what Miraculous the Master had in mind. What Miraculous was he going to give them? Which one suited their personalities the best?_

_The Fox? The Bee? The Turtle?_

_A smile made its way onto the Apprentice's lips._

_Maybe they could be friends?_

* * *

You were suddenly pulled out of your thoughts when you heard a door slam from outside in the corridor. You walked back out into the dimly lit hallway and noticed that the kitchen door was now closed. You curiously tried the knob, to see that the door was now locked. You cursed, hoping Rena would be alright inside despite the locked door. But, there again, doors that locked and unlocked themselves appeared to be the norm in this place. You could only assume that everyone was used to it by now. Though you weren't and you felt very alone now, not liking that you couldn't return to someone's else company. Being all alone in this big, weird place made you feel unsafe.

You turned away and headed down the corridor. Your eyes trailed over each door, looking for one that was open. You also kept an eye out for this cat, now that you had a better idea of where he could be. You could only hope you wouldn't be forced to hunt for him through the entire house. You had more important things to be doing than chasing down some feline for some bad-tempered insect. And all for some local map. Were you really reaching for the stars here? Surely not.

You stopped and turned to your left as you poked your head through the first open door. It led down into a long, brightly lit corridor, similar to the one you were standing in. You walked in and scanned the doors, noticing a name on each one. There were many. Names ranging from Juleka to Alix, to Mylène to Ivan, to Kim to Nathaniel, to Max to Rose. You looked around for an open door, seeing that the one belonging to 'Kagami' was partially ajar.

You pushed open the door, looking inside the dark room. You bit your lip, looking around for a light switch or any indication that someone was in there that you had rudely walked in on. However, even though you were barely able to see anything, the room appeared to be vacant. You couldn't hear a sound. You finally found a light switch to your right and flipped it up. The lights came on instantly.

Immediately, something let out a sharp hiss, and you snapped your head to your left and over to the bed across the room.

There, sprawled out at the foot the bed, was a thin, black cat. It was surrounded by an array of empty wrappers, half-eaten croissants, and crumbs messily scatted across the bed. Its sharp, slitted lime green eyes were fixed on you in a lazy glare, letting out low groans and vexed hisses from its throat. You blinked, looking at the squinting cat in a state of bewilderment before turning to fully face it.

Well, it seems as if you found your cat.

It immediately stood up and sprung off the bed. It ran towards you and straight past you, heading out into the corridor. You immediately jumped to life to chase after it.

"Hey!" you called out, dashing into the corridor to see it scampering down the hallway a few meters away from you. It ignored you, and made an abrupt left turn, quickly opening one of the golden vents with its paw and jumping inside. Your eyes widened, knowing that you were about to lose it. "Hey, wait!" you called out, skidding over to the vent and crouching down to look inside.

Yet, all you caught sight of was a black tail disappearing behind the bend.

You growled and thumped the floor in frustration, "Goddamit!"

You looked around and sighed. It seemed this was going to be harder than you thought. No one told you that the cat was going to make itself scarce.

You jolted and looked around, noticing the wall lights flicker and hearing the sound of two doors abruptly shutting and two locks clicking. You looked down the corridor, seeing that both door that you just came through and Kagami's door were now closed and apparently locked. You sighed and got up, but stopped your movements once the lights flickered again, more harshly this time.

A cold shiver traveled down your spine.

You couldn't explain the feeling, but you suddenly felt very unsafe. Exposed. Open.

You noticed how deathly silent the hall was. You cautiously checked all of your surroundings as you crossed your arms to give yourself some comfort. A cold draft blew through the hall from no discernable source, making goosebumps grow on your exposed skin. You couldn't help but notice how creepy the chateau was when you were left utterly alone. Though, despite that, it was still no rational reason to feel unsafe. Considering that you were most likely dreaming, there was obviously nothing that could actually hurt you. You just had to hope that you would wake up in your bed before your lucid dream became a lucid nightmare.

You scanned the corridor and began making your way to the end of the hall, mind screaming at you to leave at once. The lights continued to flicker, occasionally switching off for a brief second and submerging you in darkness before swiftly coming back on again.

You quickly rushed over to the door and swung it open, jogging up the wooden steps to the door above. As soon as you entered the next room, you hastily shut the door behind you.

You exhaled and scanned the dark room for a lightswitch. Your fingers soon traced over the cold metal box to your left, and you flicked up the golden knob and looked to see where you had arrived now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N (June 25th, 2020): I'm sure you've figured out by now that something strange is going on. If you're wondering why this story is so RPGish, it's because it's been inspired by several RPGs lol! Stray Cat Crossing, The Witch's House, and IB, to name a few. All of my inspirations are listed in the introduction, as usual. The production of this fanfic would be pretty fast as the chapters are so short in comparison to my other fanfics. If it weren't for the fact that I'm spending most of my time going through my plot notes to this to keep the story consistent, the updates would be much more frequent. I have to plan them and release them carefully so as not to make a mistake or reveal something too early. I thought I would explain that as the chapters are only just roughly 2000-3000 words, which would make slow updates appear strange as the word count is much higher in my other fanfictions. I didn't want to give off the impression that the updates are slow are due to writer's block or no longer having an interest in this because that's not the case. Nevertheless, I'll see what I can do to get chapters out more frequently. Furthermore, this fanfic has been edited to make Reader gender-neutral. If anyone spots any gender-specific pronouns (he/she/her/him/etc.) that have been left there by mistake, do let me know so I can change them! I'm thrilled to be writing my first gender-neutral fanfic! I would love to make all of them gender-neutral, but unfortunately, I can't, with each one having a different reason. Though with this one, it's been very easy to make the small changes, so I'm very pleased!

**Author's Note:**

> Check my Tumblr for updates: https://earl-april.tumblr.com/
> 
> ⚠️Mature warning! This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and gore, sexual content, strong language, and imitable behavior. This story could be potentially triggering. This story is not suitable for children or sensitive readers! Please consult the introduction for further details regarding the disclaimers. The predicted age rating for this story is +18. This warning may change. Read at your own risk!⚠️
> 
> Cover created by me, image featured in the cover is not mine.  
> Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir © Thomas Astruc.  
> (Name) © You.  
> OCs © EarlApril.
> 
> © 2020- EARLAPRIL ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


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